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A Syrian man who fled to Kuwait in late 2011 to escape the Assad regime has returned home to unseal a private library hidden behind a false wall.
Activist Bilal Alloun shared a video of his father, Abu Bilal, demolishing the wall to uncover the preserved collection of books, which had been banned under the former regime's strict censorship policies.
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Abu Bilal delayed his departure from Homs in 2011 specifically to wall off his son's library to protect it from destruction or looting.
His family said the fate of the library remained his biggest concern throughout his years in exile, and he was deeply moved to find the books intact.
Possession of banned literature under the Assad regime carried severe penalties, including arbitrary detention and torture.
Assad fled Syria for Russia in December 2024 as opposition forces took control of Damascus, ending more than five decades of family rule following a swift offensive across the country.
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